Meanwhile, Mary discovers there's another child living in the house: a boy whose foul disposition reminds her of her former self. Dickon has an innate, almost magical, connection to the natural world, and he inspires in Mary a fascination with plants and animals. She really turns a corner when she meets Dickon, the younger brother of one of the housemaids. Her appetite begins to improve, and so does her temperament. However, she's encouraged to spend time 'out of doors,' and the fresh air does her good. She's at once spoiled and lost in a world of new customs and expectations. She's later discovered and sent to live with her uncle at Misselthwaite Manor, where she's rude to the household staff. Mary's parents and many of the servants in their household die of cholera, and the adults who survive flee the house, leaving Mary alone and unaware of what has happened.

Ten-year-old Mary Lennox has been living there with her parents, though her father is rarely present and her mother is most interested in dinner parties, so Mary's main caretaker has been her Ayah (nursemaid). The Secret Garden has been made into a few different movie versions, including a 2020 adaptation starring Dixie Egerickx as Mary and Colin Firth as her uncle.įrancis Hodgson Burnett's classic novel THE SECRET GARDEN begins in India, which at the turn of the 20th century was still part of the British Empire. Alcohol is mentioned again when the groundskeeper at Misselthwaite manor, Ben Weatherstaff, talks about another man being 'drunk as a lord' and beating his wife. With no one to care for her, Mary becomes thirsty, drinks an abandoned glass of wine from her parents' dining table, and goes to sleep. Early in the novel, Mary's parents and many servants in the household die of cholera, leaving 10-year-old Mary alone. Mary also takes an unkind, superior attitude toward servants and recalls losing her temper and slapping her Ayah (Indian nursemaid). Indians are referred to as 'natives' and 'blacks,' and Mary is angry and insulted when she's compared to them.

That said, it includes some racist ideas about class, colonization, and Indian people. For generations, this 1909 novel has inspired a love of nature and simple pleasures in young readers. Friendship and the restorative powers of nature help the children gain good spirits and health.

Parents need to know that Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden is a beautifully written book about two selfish, disagreeable English cousins - Mary and Colin - whose lives and dispositions are transformed when they find their way into a locked, walled garden.

The secret garden classic book